Aleksandr Usik relinquished the WBO belt
Ukrainian cruiserweight boxer Aleksandr Usik is no longer the undisputed world champion. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
He voluntarily relinquished the World Boxing Organization (WBO) belt. This was announced in an official statement by the WBO.
According to the statement, Usik thoroughly analyzed the situation and decided to return this belt. However, the exact reasons for the decision were not disclosed.
Despite relinquishing the WBO belt, 37-year-old Usik still retains the world champion titles in the WBA, WBC, and IBF divisions. These belts were awarded to him after his victory over Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in the summer of 2024.
In that fight, Usik became the undisputed world champion for the second time. He first won the WBO belt in September 2021 in London by defeating Anthony Joshua.
He successfully defended this belt five times over three years. In May 2024, Usik defeated Tyson Fury, unifying all the major cruiserweight championship belts.
However, in June, he also relinquished the IBF belt after refusing a mandatory defense. As a result, he remained the interim IBF titleholder but lost the full championship title.
Now, Usik has also relinquished the WBO belt and lost the undisputed champion status. According to WBO information, Usik was offered a fight against British boxer Fabio Wardley, but Usik declined to comply with the organization's requirement.
Consequently, the WBO belt was automatically transferred to the undefeated boxer Fabio Wardley.
